In his annual state of the port address Thursday, Georgia Ports Authority Executive Director Curtis Foltz reported 1,900 new jobs and 2.7 million square feet of industrial expansion tied to a year of growth for Georgia's deepwater ports.

ATLANTA - The Georgia Department of Labor announced Thursday that Georgia's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for August was 8.1 percent, up four-tenths of a percentage point from a revised 7.7 percent in July. The rate in August of last year was 8.2 percent.

ATLANTA-The Georgia Department of Labor announced Thursday that Georgia's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for August was 8.1 percent, up four-tenths of a percentage point from a revised 7.7 percent in July. The rate in August of last year was 8.2 percent.

Armstrong State University's latest Coastal Empire Economic Monitor reports the Savannah-area economy continued to expand during the second quarter of 2014 and should experience strong growth throughout the year.

SAVANNAH - In its 10th year, SBDC GrowSmart, the signature series of the University of Georgia Small Business Development Center, will begin Sept. 16 and consists of five modules over five weeks. Each module will focus on a particular topic, such as marketing, finance, and management, with the sessions lasting from 9 a.m.-4 p.m.

ATLANTA - The Georgia Department of Labor announced that Effingham County's preliminary unemployment for July was 6.6 percent, up from June's rate of 6.4 percent. The rate is down from the July 2013 mark of 7.1 percent.

ST. SIMONS ISLAND - As director of Armstrong State University's Center for Regional Analysis, Michael Toma has been a bearer of grim economic tidings over the last several years. But Thursday morning, his remarks on the region's outlook appeared to be much more well-received.